Inspired By
by bigk4062
Summary: A series of one shots based on different medias-mostly songs but poems and short stories too- Parings will vary, and will be mentioned in the Author Notes- Chapter 4 Street Symphony-Bakura/Ryou
1. Unpretty

*A/N This first story is based off the song Unpretty by TLC. It features Mai with a casual mentioning of Mai/Joey. There are mentions of emotional abuse, as well as a mentioning of sex. I don't own any of the characters except for Mai's boyfriend, and the song Unpretty is owned by TLC.

" _Be in the position to make me feel so... Damn Unpretty"_ -Unpretty TLC

Mai walked into her private room and sighed. Without a care, she tossed her bag onto the bed, not bothering to pick up the few items of clothing that had bounced out of her luggage and onto the floor. Looking around, she was pleased with the space the room came with, unlike other hotels which always left her feeling claustrophobic.

" _first a bath, then bed, its been a long day."_

She thought, making her way over to double check that the suite's door was bolted shut. Checking through the peephole, she noted no one in the hallway, and the adequate lighting that ensured no shadows for someone to hide in should she have to leave the room for any reason.

Nodding to herself, she went to her travel bag and pulled out her bathing suit-a modest once piece, cut high to mostly cover her chest. Grabbing her toiletries, she closed the blinds and turned on the air conditioner to ensure the room would be set to her standards by the time she was ready for bed.

Glancing at the door one more time, she headed towards the bathroom.

" _I'm just glad he didn't decided to follow me here, I need time to think without his opinion"_

she muttered to herself, shaking her head to clear it of thoughts of her boyfriend Jack.

She opened the door to the bathroom, walking and shutting it, turning her back to the mirror and staring at the wall. Without looking down, she changed quickly into her bathing suit- the only barrier stopping her from seeing herself naked. Climbing into the shower, she allowed the water to run over her, releasing the tension from her muscles. She took her time, making sure to get off all of the make up from her face, making sure it all went down the drain. Finally, she shut off the water and grabbed a towel to dry herself off with.

She peeked out of the shower and stared at the mirror, making sure she couldn't quite see herself in it.

"Might as well get it over with" Mai thought, and, taking a big breath she stood squarely in front of the sink and looked at her reflection.

The first thing she noticed was her hair-as blonde as ever, but lacking its old volume, at 24 Mai had grown tired of her long locks and had chopped her hair into shorter layers. Her violet eyes looked tired, without the makeup like they were tired of pretending to be happy all the time. She studied her skin in the mirror, noticing the slight blemishes that she tried to desperately to hide every morning. The same ones that Jack had pointed out one day, pretending not to notice the hurt in her eyes.

Mai had always prided herself on her beauty and independence, but after the disaster with Dartz something had changed. Unable to face her friends and the man-no, the BOY she loved Mai had taken off, dueling and working odd jobs to try to find meaning in her life.

That was how she had met Jack, she walked into the bookstore he worked at, intending to find a magazine featuring her friends from back home. After a while of talking she had found out that he owned the bookstore- the 3rd generation of his family to do so. She began to go in everyday, fascinated by this small town man who always had something interesting to say.

After a month, he finally asked her out, and she was surprised to find herself hesitating for a moment before saying yes, a voice in the back of her head telling her not to accept, which she had quickly brushed off thinking it was her subconscious nagging her about Joey- At this point she hadn't seen the other duelist in over 2 years, it was time to move on with her life.

Their first date went well, and soon Mai was spending more time at Jacks then at her own place. They barely fought, Jack being the time to have a good discussion and compromise, which is why Mai was surprised a few days after they first slept together that Jack handed her a tube of lipstick and told her to try that shade, he thought it would look better on her. Seeing the look on her face, he backed off immediately, and Mai put the tube down without a second thought, until a few weeks later when she ran out of her favorite lipstick and she decided to try it, much to Jacks pleasure.

Before she knew it, Jack was changing all kinds of things about her, from her boots to her clothes to encouraging her to try different hairstyles. Now when he made comment about her, she barely even flinched, and found herself agreeing with the things he said, making it harder to look at herself.

The kicker had come a week ago on Valentines Day, when Jack had given her a gift certificate for a local surgeon- to have breast implants. While she had always been a large C, she had used different types of bras to her advantage- knowing how to use what she had to get what she needed. Now Jack wanted her to have it for real-he had complained to her numerous that her breasts weren't both the same size, and seeing her naked bothered him. This was in fact the reason Mai had bought the swimsuit, Jack's criticism of her looks had caused her to become self conscious.

Mai had taken the gift certificate, surprised to note that the surgery was in 2 weeks, after the tournament she had enrolled in. Mai had left the dinner dazed and confused. Her natural beauty was important to her, and surgery seemed like the wrong option, even if the was something not 'perfect' about her.

She looked in the mirror, the bathing suit covering her uneven breasts, and sighed again. Brushing her teeth quickly, she left the bathroom, grabbing her PJ's so she wouldn't have to watch herself change.

Pushing her bag off the bed, she climbed in, shutting off the lights, intending to go right to sleep. After staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, she remembered she forgot to set her alarm and grabbed her phone, not surprised to see a message from her boyfriend wishing her luck and telling her he loved her.

She smiled at that, turned on the alarm, and went to put her phone down when she noticed another message-from Yugi of all people, telling her that he was at the tournament with Joey and the gang, and they knew she wanted her space but please join them for breakfast in the morning before the games started so they could catch up a little. She responded in the positive and placed her phone down, smiling a little in anticipation before getting comfortable in the bed.

She picked her phone up again, resetting her alarm to give herself more time to get ready in the morning-it wouldn't do to not look perfect for breakfast, after all.

I based this fic off the music video for Unpretty, where the boyfriend is trying to get his girlfriend to get implants. Enjoy this one-shot and see you next time!


	2. Night the Lights Went out

A/N: This chapter is Kaiba/Joey, along with Joey/others. I based it off Reba's _The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia_ and it will contain major character death.

Kaiba had come home from a business trip, having spent 3 months in China working out the kinks to open a new Kaibaland. It was a massive undertaking, and it meant spending a lot of time away from his brother and lover, which he hated doing. He tried to chat with them every night, but it wasn't the same as being there and getting to be a part of what ever chaos seemed to follow them at every turn.

After going to yet another meeting, he decided to hop on the jet and come back home, planning on taking Mokuba and Joey away for the weekend before he had to return to supervise the building of the duel towers. As the jet landed, Kaiba allowed himself a little smile, looking forward to spending time with people who didn't care about kissing his ass, and who had no problem telling him to quit working.

"But first, a tad bit of business" he thought, grabbing his briefcase before strolling through the airport.

Hopping in the car his secretary had located for him, he drove to Duke's game shop, intent on having the other man sign some paperwork. While the dark-haired duelist annoyed him to no end, the man came up with some clever ideas. One of them Joey had convinced Kaiba to implement at the new Kaiba land, and it allowed duelists to purchase cards that they saw being played and have them shipped right to them. The orders were filled at Duke or Yugi's gameshops, and Kaibacorp took a small about of the fees. Kaiba had to admit the idea was smart, and it annoyed him that it was so simple he hadn't thought of it.

As he approached the gameshop, he straightened his tie and checked his clothes, wrinkles wouldn't do if he was working out a business deal. The door jingled as he walked through, and Duke looked up, swallowing hard as he saw Kaiba entered.

The dice master greeted him, looking around to see that there was no one else in the shop. He immediately offered Kaiba some tea, which Kaiba declined, intending not to stay long. He set the briefcase down on the counter, opening it to remove the paperwork that needed signing, and gave it to Duke, noticing how the shorter man started to sweat.

"Is there a problem Devlin?" Kaiba asked, not impressed with how poorly this was going.

Duke closed his eyes, then opened them to stare at Kaiba.

"I think you need to sit down, Kaiba I've got some... bad news." Duke said, pointing at a chair over at another counter. "Hold on and I'll be right back."He added, leaving Kaiba alone in the gameshop. Duke returned in a minute, looking extremely pale but determined. He sat down next to Kaiba and looked him straight in the eye before speaking.

"You are not going to find Joey at home when you get there, he's been... seeing someone else." Kaiba instantly stood up, intending on punching the other man but Duke sensed this and ducked out of the way. Not able to form any words, Kaiba grabbed his briefcase and marched out, barely noticing that Duke yelled something at him as he got into the car and drove away.

Kaiba made it to the mansion, sitting in the car and staring at the house, not knowing what to do next. His phone pinged at him, and he glanced at it to see 2 texts from Duke. Checking the messages, he noticed one was a photo, while the other was a text. "

Here's proof if you need it, and in the interest of full disclosure I've been with him too." Kaiba squeezed the phone as hard as he could, imagining it was Duke's neck he was breaking before getting out of the car and going on a search for his boyfriend.

Kaiba stormed into the mansion, looking for his boyfriend.

"i know he's here somewhere" Kaiba muttered under his breath,

"that blonde haired idiot can't hide from me forever." kaiba walked into the kitchen, glaring at the cabinets as if they knew where his lover was at. He glanced down at the picture in his hand, his heart constricting a little as he looked at it. The resolution was grainy, obviously taken by a cell phone at night but there was no mistaking his boyfriend in the arms of a stranger. If he needed any confirmation, the small blue eyes tatttoo that Joey had on his back was enough. The other duelist had gotten the tattoo as surprise for Kaiba's birthday, and no one knew about it outside of the two of them and Mokuba. Joey had cheated, and by the looks of it, he was probably out with someone else right now.

Kaiba stormed through the rest of the mansion, yanking doors open and screaming Joey's name. He couldn't believe the nerve of the blonde, who had deceived his way into Kaiba's bed and life, just to have someone to fund his extra curricular activities. Kaiba looked down at the picture again before entering another Mokuba's bedroom, noting that his younger brother was not home either. Kaiba's frown deepened at that, he knew how attached Mokuba was to Joey, and it was going to hurt him once the boys broke up.

"If I don't kill Wheeler first" Kaiba muttered, shutting his brothers bedroom door before walking down the hall to his own.

Kaiba knew he should start throwing out Joey's possessions, but his rage was making him think straight. Instead, he walked over to the dresser, and, carefully tapping on the sides, he opened up a fake back to reveal a decorative knife. It had been Kaiba's stepfather's, a memento of some business deal, and the man had given it to Kaiba as a reward for earning his first real money. Kaiba kept it hidden, knowing that money meant people would always be coming for him, and for some reason the knife made him feel safe. He withdrew it from the hidden spot, and hid it in his coat, and left the room, knowing his next stop.

Kaiba left the mansion, driving back to Duke's intending to confront the other man. As he parked, he noticed some tire tracks on the road, and he wondered if Joey had been here and taken off once he knew Kaiba knew. Kaiba parked over the tracks, and pulled the knife out. He got out of the car and entered Duke's gameshop, only to stop short at the sight before him.

Duke laid on the floor covered in blood from several stab wounds, obviously fresh. Kaiba didn't even think, he just ran over to check the mans vital signs, dropping the knife in his haste. Realizing the other man was dead, he stared at the body, not even hearing the jingling of the shop door as someone else entered and gasped.

A hand grabbed him, dragging him away from the body and turning him violently around. Crimson eyes meet blue, and Kaiba found himself staring at Yami. Yugi was right behind him, Tristan bringing up the rear. Yami began to shake Kaiba, screaming at him while the taller duelist just sat there numbly, unable to defend him self from the other man's accusations. Yami finally let go of Kaiba's coat, which was stained with Duke's blood, and allowed the other man to fall limply to the ground.

While all this was happening, Bakura and Ryou had entered, the whole gang running to Duke's shop when they received his SOS text that Kaiba was there to kill him. Yami stared at Kaiba for a minute before looking at Bakura, slowly nodding to the white haired thief while turning to grab the other three boys and escorting them out of the shop.

Bakura grinned, walking over to grab the knife before turning to Kaiba and saying 'Have you ever heard the expression an eye for an eye Kaiba?'

Two days later, two burials took place. One for Duke, the other for Kaiba. Duke's was well attended, his many friends grief-stricken at the young mans sudden end. The only one missing was Joey, and his friends took it as he was so grief-stricken that he couldn't handle coming to the gravesite, and would emerge eventually.

Kaiba's burial was not so well attended. When word leaked out what had happened, people steered clear of the site, not wanting to be connected with the heinous acts the young man was accused of committing. The only one who attended was Mokuba, and the raven haired boy was silent during the short ceremony. Before the casket was closed, he stopped the director and asked for one more moment alone with his brother. The older man bowed, ducking out of the way to give Mokuba some privacy.

Mokuba stared at his brother for a minute before pulliing out three throwing knives and placing them in the casket. "I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to defend you Seto, but don't worry they'll never find Joey... you taught me how to throw these, and you know I never miss." Mokuba whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks as he turned to find the funeral director to let him know he was ready.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Well, they hung my brother before I could say_

 _The tracks he saw while on his way_

 _To Andy's house and back that night were mine_

 _And his cheatin wife had never left town_

 _That's one body that'll never be found_

 _You see little sister don't miss when she aims her gun_

 _XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

 _I hope you had as good a time reading this as I did writing it... I've always loved this song_


	3. Do you Want to Build a Snowman

_A/N: So, it's rained on both of the days I was suppose to be doing my second job, and instead of being outside, I got to babysit. My niece finally got me to watch Frozen, and all I could think about when I heard Do you Want to Build a Snowman was Kaiba and his brother, so I figured why not. I'm just editing another chapter of Aftermath, and that will be up shortly. Enjoy, and Frozen is obviously owned by Disney, along with the song Do you Want to Build a Snowman_

 _2 Months after Adoption-We used to be best buddies_

Mokuba stood outside Seto's door, determined to talk to his brother. It had been weeks since the two had played together, and Mokuba missed him with a fierceness. He just wanted Seto to come out and play for a little bit.

He missed his best friend, his only friend since they had been abandoned at the orphanage what seemed like a lifetime ago. It had been 2 months since Seto had convinced Gozaburo to adopt the brothers, and ever since they had moved in the elder had done everything in his power to keep them apart.

He had even locked Seto in a small room, pocketing the key while he made the boy read book after book. Mokuba didn't understand what the terms of the two boys being adopted were, all he knew was that he was determined to get Seto outside.

After all, it was snowing, and there was nothing the two boys loved more than going outside and playing in the white stuff that fell from the sky. Straightening himself out to his full height, he knocked on Seto's door, and waited for a reply. When none came he frowned, knocking again.

"Seto?" He called through the door, trying the handle in vain when he found it was locked. Stepping away from the door he called again.

"Hey Seto? I just wanted to see if you wanted to come outside and build a snowman with me? I miss you, I never get to see you anymore come out and play!" Hearing some small sounds from the other side of the door, Mokuba stood closer, hoping it was his brother getting some warm clothes on. Then the noises stopped, and Seto still didn't come out. Mokuba knocked yet again, hoping to keep his brothers attention.

"Hey Seto, we don't have to go outside and build anything, just come out so we can play together. Please? I miss you" "

Go away Mokuba, I don't have time for you right now."

Seto mumbled on the other side of the door. Mokuba's heart broke just a little, and he backed away from the door, sniffling slightly as he said "Ok. Bye." and walked away.

Seto backed away from the door as he heard his brother walking and sank back on the bed. These past few months living with Gozaburo had been a living nightmare, and Seto wasn't sure if he could take much of of it.

There were piles of text books everywhere, and Seto had already gone 2 days without food when he answered one question wrong. He had also hit Seto, pulling his belt off and flicking it across the young boys back without a second thought.

There was also the hand print across Seto's cheek, which had appeared when Seto didn't ridicule a maid for forgetting to wash the sheets the day before. That was the reason he didn't want Mokuba to see him, he didn't want to upset the younger boy.

After all, Mokuba was the reason he was doing all of this, to give his younger brother a better life. At least, he hoped.

 _4 years later- I think some company is overdue_

"Seto? Come on out its snowing lets go play!" Mokuba pounded on the door, tryiing to get his brother's attention.

"You've been locked in there for weeks, I think it's time to come out for awhile. Please?" Mokuba leaned in close, listening for the slightest hint of his brother moving by the door. It had been 4 years since they had been adopted, and everyday it seemed Seto changed more and more.

He barely ever came out of the room, choosing to study and write computer codes over anything else. In the beginning, Mokuba use to at least be able sit with Seto while he did these things, but now Seto didn't even come near the door when Mokuba knocked.

Sighing, Mokuba turned away, looking out the window at the snow softly falling. He wandered back into his room and grabbed a plushie off the bed, and began to walk through the mansion. Even after living here for a few years, Mokuba still got lost sometimes as he walked around.

Turning a corner, he saw his adopted father and his eyes lit up. Gozaburo had become a real parent to his younger adopted son, often giving the boy treats and rough housing with him. At least, when he was home from working at Kaiba Corp. The best part was when he came home from business trips. He brought Mokuba back toys and candy from all over the world, often walking Mokuba up from a deep sleep just to give the boy a present.

The days when Gozaburo was gone were the longest of Mokuba's short life, but his father always made it up to him and today was no exception. When he saw Mokuba he gave the small boy a nod, pointing to a chair while he continued to talk on the phone to someone. Mokuba sat quietly, hands in his lap while he waited for the older man to finish his call. When Gozaburo was done, he smiled at Mokuba and reached into his pocket.

"Hello my son, let's see what I got for you this time." With that he produced 2 theme park tickets, watching as Mokuba bounced up and down in excitement.

"Tickets to Tokyo Disney? Really? Thank you father!" Gozaburo placed the tickets back into his pocket, tucking them in securely.

"Yes, I believe you deserve a treat for doing so well in school and your extra studies. We will go for a few days next month when you have your vacation."

"Is Seto going?" Mokuba asked, holding his breath in anticipation.

"I bought him a ticket, but your brother declined. He said he doesn't have time to spend on such activities. I guess you're stuck with just me." With that Gozaburo reached over and ruffled Mokuba's hair, then turned and left the room. Mokuba stood there, staring straight ahead at the painting on the wall.

"Well Elizabeth, I guess its just you and me."

Seto sighed as he leaned back from his textbook. This past week had been particularly hard on him, Gozaburo had piled on an unusually large amount of work while he was gone on this trip. Luckily, the brunet had gotten it all done, and with a little time to spare.

He was about to go and find Mokuba when his bedroom door opened and the bane of his existence walked in. Gozaburo barely acknowledged Seto before slamming a briefcase down on his desk.

"It's been four years Seto, it's time for you to prove my money isn't being wasted on you. This briefcase contains $10 million dollars. You have a year to bring me back 10 times that amount, or I throw you out on the streets and take Mokuba as my heir." Seto froze, Gozaburo's words bring out his worst nightmares.

Gozaburo turned away, walking out the door before his son could respond. Seto stared at the briefcase, mind whirling as he tried to figure out how he was going to complete Gozaburo's demands. He stood up, wanting to find Mokuba and reassure himself that his baby brother was ok.

He walked down the hall, hearing Gozaburo talking to someone. He appeared in the doorway, just as his father was telling Mokuba that Seto did not want to go to the park with them. He stood in the doorway frozen as his adopted father ruffled his little brothers hair and walked away, fixing Seto with a long stare as he walked out of the room. Seto fled, knowing that not only did he need to earn the money, but he needed to get Gozaburo out of the way to rescue his little brother.

 _2 years later_

Mokuba walked right past his brothers room, not even looking at the door. His heart was breaking over the earlier fight he had with his brother, and he was looking for his father for comfort. He found the man packing for yet another business trip, and he couldn't help but allow the tears to flow. When Gozaburo turned to him, a questioning look on his face, Mokuba ran to him, crying as he told his father about Seto's plans, not noticing the smile that was covering his fathers face.

Seto had completed Gozaburo's mission with almost a month to spare. Unfortunately, the only way to do that was to almost bankrupt a smaller company, but Seto didn't even care. He would do anything to protect Mokuba, even if it meant hurting other people.

That's what made his next plan even harder. He had contacted the Big 5 behind his step fathers back, and gotten them to agree to back his power play to take over Kaiba Corp. Earlier in the day he had yelled at Mokuba, accusing him of telling Gozaburo about Seto's plan to take over the company. Mokuba, after years of being conditioned to trust their step-father and not Seto, had immediately ran to the man to tell him what happened.

Gozaburo was about to leave for a business trip, but he had called Seto into a meeting at the mansion. Seto walked in, the big 5 right behind him. In a blaze of glory, he informed Gozaburo that he now owned Kaiba Corp, and when Gozaburo informed him that he need Mokuba's shares to have true ownership.

With that, Seto opened his briefcase to show him the paperwork that rolled Mokuba's shares over to his brother. In a rage, Gozaburo ran from the room, shouting over his shoulder that he was going to kill Mokuba for revenge. Seto ran after him, knowing that he was not strong enough to take out his step-father.

Luckily, he didn't have to be. Gozaburo reached the stairs, and in his anger he tripped, falling quickly and breaking his neck. Seto watched the whole thing from the top, and calmly walked away, allowing someone else to call an ambulance.

 _3 days later- We only have each other_

Mokuba stood outside his brothers door, dressed in all black for his adopted father's funeral. He hadn't seen Seto since Gozaburo had died. It was now time for the funeral, and Seto still wasn't coming out of his room.

"Seto? Everyone's wondering when you're coming out. We need to get going are you ready?" Tears appeared in his eyes, and he sat down outside his brothers door, crying huge tears. "It's only us now, what's going to happen now? I'm so tired of not having a brother, I want you back the way it used to be before this man adopted us. Please Seto." 

Seto was working on his computer, attempting to get everything ready for his first board meeting. He knew he had to be ready for every question and motion that the board could put to him. He also knew that no one was going to take him seriously, and he needed to plan something big to get their attention.

He had dressed hours ago for the funeral, and had settled in to get some work down. He jumped when a knock sounded at his door, and he walked over only to hear his brother crying.

"Please Seto, I'm right here. I forgive you, I'm right here for you, please just let me in. Stop shutting me out." Seto clenched his fists, trying not to cry himself. He heard Mokuba sigh, and get up, walking away from the door. Seto looked back at his computer, at the pile of work he would have to get back to after funeral. He then grabbed the handle, opening the door quickly startling Mokuba. He placed a hand on his brother, looking at the smaller boy with a soft smile.

"Hey Mokie, when we get back, do you want to build a snow man when we get back?"

 _A/N: Obviously, I had to play with canon a little to get it to fit, but I tried to stay true to the original story as much as possible. If anyone feels a little bit sorry for Gozaburo don't- he was only nice to Mokuba to manipulate Seto into doing what he wanted, and if Seto hadn't gotten rid of him, Mokuba would have been hurt in the process. As for Mokuba, he's young and trusting, and he couldn't see past his adopted fathers attempts to buy him poor thing. Anyway read and review please!_


	4. Telephone

A/N: One of my work friends has had Lady Gaga's 'Telephone stuck on repeat for the past week so this has come out of it... At first I was going to make it just Joey/Kaiba but hey, why not. Enjoy!

Tea pulled down the top on her dress, adjusting it so her breasts were just about popping out. The best part about clubbing was the free drinks, and Tea was giong to have to put her best face forward to have a chance against Mai. The older woman knew her way around a bar, and she had spent quite a bit of time sharing what she had learned with Tea.

The brunette smiled, looking around the bar for her blonde friend. Mai was chatting up a boy who clearly was out of his league. She leaned up against him, smiling and blinking her eyes suggestively at him. He backed up a little, pointing at the bar with nod and Mai smiled even brighter.

She then nodded at him, and he quickly bought her a drink, giving her a kiss on the cheek before letting her go. Mai winked at him blowing a kiss before walking away. She expertly weaved her way around the dance floor, heading towards Tea. She placed the drink in front of her friend before sititng down at the table, watching the bodies drunk dancing.

"Have you heard from the guys yet?"

She wondered, looking over at Tea.

"Yea, Joey texted me. He's coming, and dragging Yugi and Yami with him. I don't know about the rest though."

Her phone chose that moment to bing, and she smiled as she read her text.

"They're here. Joey's got a table in the VIP section set up for us."

"Guess it must be nice dating the CEO of freaking Kaiba Corp huh?"

Mai questioned, winking at Tea as she picked up her drink and began walking again. Tea nodded, smoothing out her dress as several boys gave her appreciative looks. Mai took her by the arm, ducking around a few groups until they made it to the ropes. Joey was waiting, waving them.

"Tristan and Duke are coming, everyone else is hanging out at our spot." He said, looking down at his phone with a frown. Tea ducked inside, leaving Mai to talk to Joey who was obviously annoyed. Mokuba, Ryou, Yugi and Yami were sitting around the table, sharing drinks and swapping work stories. Mokuba was technically way to young to be at a bar, but very few places in Japan carded, especially when the person was Vice President of a huge company.

Mokuba didn't drink, instead he sat back and kept an eye on his brother's boyfriend. Joey and Kaiba had gotten into another fight before they had gone out tonight, and Kaiba had choosen to go back to work instead of spending time with them.

Joey had not taken the change of plans lightly, and had marched up the stairs to change. Now he was wearing leather pants so tight Mokuba wasn't even sure how he fit into them and a muscle t that showed off all the time he spent in the gym working out his frustrations with his boyfriend's attitude. Mokuba sighed, shifting over so Tea could sit down next to him. She too looked annoyed, staring down at her phone.

"What's wrong Tea?"

Yugi asked, squeezing Yami's hand.

"Oh Rob decided to not call me today now he wants to know why I'm not sitting around waiting for him." Her phone starting ringing, and Tea picked it up, rolling her eyes in frustration.

"What do you want Rob? I know I'm not home I'm at the club"

She waited a few seconds before interrupting his questions

. "What was that? You're breaking up I got no service here sorry hun I'm kinda busy right now."

The song changed, it's loud beat pulsing through Tea's veins.

"Sorry they're playing my favorite song right now I can't text you, I'll talk to you later bye."

She hung up, placing her phone on the table and looking over a Yugi.

"I'm going to dance, keep an eye on this for me please."

Yugi agreed, smiling at Tea before wrapping himself back around Yami.

"Yea Yug, keep an eye on my phone too, I need to go dance away some frustrations."

Joey said, appearing at the table with Duke and Tristan in tow. He tossed his phone down without even looking at it, offering his hand to Tea so they could dance together. The two friends entered the floor, Joey looking her over approvingly for a second.

"By the way, your boobs look great in the that dress."

Tea blushed, looking Joey over herself.

"Well your ass looks just about perfect in those pants. I'm surprised Kaiba let you leave the house in them,"

"He hasn't seen them yet. I guess work is more important than me yet again."

Joey grabbed Tea, grinding with her in the middle of the dance floor. Tea may have more skill, with her years of practice, but Joey was a better club dancer. No matter what, the two for them looked good, friends who danced for the sake of having fun, not caring about impressing anyone.

After two songs Mokuba found the two, waving at them to come over to him, pointing at Joey and then at his phone.

"Guess Kaiba decided to start paying attention to you huh?"

Tea asked, looking over at the younger boy.

"He can wait. I'm too busy dancing with you."

Joey replied, pulling Tea close before winking suggestively at her. Tea laughed, allowing Joey to run his hands down her body knowing that it meant nothing to him. He placed his hands on her lower back, kissing her on the cheek while they continued dancing. Mokuba stayed nearby his phone nearly dying with how many times it was going off.

Finally, Tea begged Joey to stop. She was covered in so much sweat that she needed another drink, and Joey took pity on Mokuba and told him he would text his brother. Mokuba sighed in relief, following the two back over to their table. Joey took his phone, looking at his notifications.

"I got 6 calls, 5 voice mails, 23 texts, and 2 failed video chats."

He snorted as Tea looked at her own phone.

"I got 47 text messages, most of them are just Hello's?"

She looked over at Joey before shaking her head.

"I just told him to stop texting me I'm too busy partying right now."

Joey grinned as he sent his own message back to Kaiba, placing his phone down on the table.

"Joey! Stop upsetting big brother he just told me what you said! He's leaving work and coming here right now!"

"What did you say Joey?"

Ryou asked, smiling at his friends triumphant look.

"Just told him he can text and call me all he wants, it's not going to make me leave here any faster and next time I'll just leave my phone at home so I don't have to deal with him!"

He swallowed the rest of his drink standing up again.

"Anybody want to go back out with me?"

Mai volunteered, and Yugi and Ryou stook up. Tea waved them on, wanting to take another break. The group made it out on the floor, jumping around with the others as they continued to drink. Soon enough they starting getting hit on, and Joey challenged Mai to see who could 6 numbers first.

Yugi laughed as the two starting rounding the dance floor, chasing people off in their ernest to get their numbers first. Finally, Mai won, waving the papers in Joey's face as he pretend moaned in annoyance.

"Guess those tight pants are no match for my amazing cleavage darling."

Mai said, leaning over so Joey could see straight down her shirt with a wink.

"All right, let's go back so I can buy you a drink."

He mumbled, shaking his ass at her so she knew he wasn't really annoyed. As they approached the VIP room a hand shoot out, grabbing Joey's arm and turning him around. He stared at a visiably annoyed CEO, his blue eyes staring at Joey intensely as he held out Joey's phone.

"I think you forgot to keep something on you Wheeler."

"No, I just decided I wasn't going to take any calls tonight cause I was too busy dancing!"

Yugi giggled, knowing that Joey was just quoting his favorite Lady Gaga song to Kaiba, who had no clue what was going on.

"Well, we are going home, and once I get those pants off you I'm gonna make you pay for every message of mine you didn't respond too. And don't worry about Mokuba, I already warned him he shouldn't come home tonight."

With that Kaiba threw Joey over his shoulder, swatting him on the ass as he turned around to leave. Joey waved to his friends, already looking forward to whatever 'punishment' his boyfriend decided to come up with.


	5. Street

**Ryou sat down the tea cup he had been drinking from, leaning back in his chair as Yugi finished his own cup. The two friends talked for a while afterwards, catching up on all the things that had happened while Ryou was on vacation with Bakura.**

 **Their trip to Egypt had been a huge success, and they had returned home with several new artifacts that were proudly displayed in their home. Yugi kept staring at one in particular, a man with a second pair of arms on his head. Ryou followed his eyes, smiling.**

 **"That's a Ka statue. It serves as a home to a persons Ka until they could be reunited with their Ba and become one of the 'Blessed Dead' after their heart was weighed with the 'feather of truth.'"**

 **Yugi shook his head, smiling.**

 **"All these years of being with Yami, and I don't know half of what you know about Egypt and their customs."**

 **Ryou smiled, before carefully changing the subject. Another hour of talking and Yugi stood up to leave, hugging Ryou before reminding him of the Friday night dinner the gang had once a month. Ryou nodded, accepting the invitation with a smile.**

 **Yugi left with one last wave and Ryou shut the door, leaning against it with a sigh. He looked around the apartment, drinking in the sights for one last time. Yugi's visit had just been a cover for the next phase in the grand plan. Ryou was leaving, getting away from Bakura and the life he had made for them.**

 **No more 3 am phone calls to pick him up from the cops, or people banging on the door dragging Bakura out into the streets for whatever. Things being brought into the house that Ryou wasn't suppose to touch, and disappearing just as quickly as they had appeared.**

 **Enough was enough, and Ryou was going to make his escape on Friday before they left for dinner. He looked over pictures on the wall, of the group, of his family, most with Bakura missing or injured. The life Bakura had chosen, claiming it was the only one he knew was killing Ryou's soul, and he couldn't take it anymore. It was time to move on, and Ryou just had to wait until the time was right.**

 **That night Bakura came home whistling, stopping his tune only to plant a kiss on his boyfriend's lips before continuing. Ryou sighed, knowing that Bakura's good mood could only mean one thing.**

 **"You've got something big planned?"**

 **He asked, already knowing the answer. Bakura grinned at his lighter half before handing him a small bag.**

 **"What's this?"**

 **"You always ruin my fun, just open it already."**

 **Bakura teased, locking his hands behind his head and smiling. Ryou opened the bag, pulling out a business card. He flipped it over, reading it silently. He looked up at Bakura who was smiling widely.**

 **"This is a card for the Tesla dealership down the street."**

 **Bakura shook his head at Ryou in amusement.**

 **" I got you on the list for the Model X that you wanted. All you have to do is call this number and Rick will help you custom build your own version. I know how much you wanted an electric car and I wanted to be the one to give it to you."**

 **Ryou froze, staring at the business card in his hands. This was the thing he hated about Bakura's 'job.' He cheated, stole, and lied to people, then showered Ryou with presents and adoration. He had begged Bakura to stop, he didn't need all these things he just needed Bakura, but his darker half couldn't overcome his past and his life choices.**

 **Ryou looked up at Bakura, who was waiting in anticipation. Ryou smiled, kissing his boyfriend on the lips before allowing himself to be wrapped in a hug.**

 **"Let's go out tonight and celebrate. There's a new club downtown I want to take you too... invite our friends if you'd like." Ryou nodded, smiling at Bakura before picking up his phone. He knew no one would want to come, but hopefully someone would show up to keep him occupied when Bakura disappeared. "Alright, I made dinner, let's eat and then get changed."**

 **Later that night, they appeared at The Fox, the new dance club in Downtown Domino. Standing by the door was Joey, jumping up and down with a calm and collected Mokuba standing next to him. Joey was Kaiba's flavor of the week, and he was soaking what he could. Mostly the popularity and free food that being the eye candy on Kaiba's arm got him Mokuba was thrilled, following Joey around like the puppy dog that Joey had been accused of being.**

 **Ryou and Bakura quickly joined them, entering the club soon after. They settled in the back, Mokuba quickly disappearing to chase after some girls that were way to old for him. Bakura sat on the couch, slinging his arm around Ryou while his other talked to the blond. The rest of the gang filtered in, plopping down and joining in the conversation.**

 **Duke finally grabbed Tristan's hand, suggesting that the two start dancing. They convinced Joey to join them, hoping that he would get them some free drinks. Joey agreed, waving casually at the rest of the group before leaving as well. Bakura stroked Ryou's arm up and down while talking to Yami, challenging the former Pharaoh to any game under the sun that he thought he could win.**

 **The two boys took off next, agreeing to a contest silently that no one else wanted to question. Tea took the opportunity to sit next to Ryou, quickly catching the boy up on her dance lessons.**

 **"How have things been between the two of you anyway?"**

 **She asked after finishing her tale of the awkward date.**

 **"It's been going well. We get along great, he treats me so well. He just spent all this money to get me that Model X Tesla I've been eyeing."**

 **Ryou said, smiling. Tea shook her head, amused. "**

 **I wish I had a boyfriend like that, I can't even get a man to take me on a date!"**

 **She giggled, while Ryou and Yugi exchanged a look.**

 **"How about we join everyone else and let loose a little?"**

 **Yugi suggested, standing up and offering Tea his hand with a wink. She sighed, pretending to swoon over the other boy as he escorted her out of the private room. Ryou followed, wanting to keep an eye on Bakura to make sure he didn't cause anymore trouble.**

 **Hours later, most of the gang had left except for Tristan and Duke, who were too busy shoving their tongues down each other's throats to realize how late it was. Bakura had disappeared once Yami had left, leaving Ryou in the private room by himself.**

 **The younger male was bored, ready to go home and sleep. Glancing at his phone, he realized it was close to the club's closing time. Ryou got up, intending to find Bakura and get out before they were kicked out.**

 **He checked every corner of the club, not finding that familiar flash of white hair. Swallowing down the lump in his throat he crept out the back door, hearing Bakura's voice echoing through the alleyway. The sounds of hitting and crying out reached his ears, and he looked around to see where they were coming from.**

 **His eyes adjusted to the dim light, and he took several steps forward to see what was going on. There was Bakura, blood on his clothes and his hands while someone quivered in front of him. The sight was too much, and Ryou turned on his heel, not even noticing when Bakura turned and called out his name.**

 **Bakura chased after Ryou, not even noticing the strange looks he was getting by people who were looking at his shirt. He finally caught him in the back, grabbing the smaller boys wrist to push him back against the wall.**

 **"Ryou! What were you doing running around in the back alleys. What were you thinking!"**

 **Bakura yelled, gripping Ryou's wrists tightly.**

 **"What do you mean what am I doing? What were you doing? You promised this was going to be over with! You promised that you were going to keep all of this away from me, not bring it into our home and our lives."**

 **Bakura let go, staring at Ryou who was panting in anger.**

 **"I know what I told you before Ryou, but things change. I make money now, money that I use to buy you nice things that you want. I can't just walk away, I won't walk away from the life I made."**

 **Ryou stared at him, unable to understand.**

 **"You like this life don't you? This life you built doing all of these wrong things. Hurting people, stealing, causing problems for someone who's done nothing to you. I need you out of the streets and the back alleys. I don't want to be waiting for you all hours of the night, wondering who is going to show up at the house in the middle of the night to drag you away. You told me you love me, now I need to know if you love me enough to walk away."**

 **"I can't just walk away Ryou, it doesn't work like that. I have nothing else but this. It's my life. You need to trust me that I will never let anyone hurt you, and stop worrying about this."**

 **Bakura smiled, leaning down to kiss Ryou's face gently.**

 **"Let me clean up and we will go home. I love you."**

 **Ryou echoed the sentiment as Bakura left, not even realizing he did. Finally he picked up his phone, texting Yugi that the plan was going to change and he needed a place to stay for the night. Tristan and Duke came in a minute later, looking around hurriedly.**

 **"Ryou, we need to go. Someone just said-"**

 **Tristan stopped mid-sentence, noticing the shaky look on his friends face.**

 **"Ryou! What's wrong? You look like someone just told you that card games aren't cool."**

 **Ryou took a deep breath, looking over at the other two boys.**

 **\"Sorry, I just got into a fight with Bakura, I need to get out of here. Now."**

 **"That's what we were just going to tell you Ryou, we need to get out of here. A waitress found a boy in the alleyway, the cops are on their way. Too many people saw Bakura with blood on him, he's going to be the first one they go after we have to get you out of here."**

 **Duke told him, grabbing his friend by the arm. Ryou paused, his mind going over everything that was happened. He wanted to run into the bathroom and grab Bakura and leave with him, but it was time to go. Bakura would have to be on his own.**

 **The three boys quickly left the club, walking down the street while police cars raced by, blocking the entrance to the club. Ryou looked back just in time to see Bakura being handcuffed. He turned away, looking over at his two friends.**

 **"You ok?"**

 **Tristan asked him. Ryou glanced back one more time, watching Bakura being placed in the car.**

 **"Yea, I had to leave. He was never going to leave that life, he loved the streets more than me."**

 **The three boys turned and left, Bakura's eyes following them down the street.**


End file.
